Trap.



J. GRIFFIN.

TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1912.

Patentd 001:. 15, 1912.

' 8mm (70km q 77/. 1M

J. GRIFFIN.

TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1912.

1,041,463. Patented 0ct.15, 1-912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WNFFEE STATE PATENT @FFTQE.

JOHN GRIFFIN, 0F TYRE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-TENTH TO L. A. DRUG- MAND, OF TYRE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-TENTH TO GEORGE M. WEAVER, 0F

IMPERIAL, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Joint GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tyre, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Traps, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a trap for catching burglars, highwaymen' vide standards having arms pivotally mounted thereon and provided with gripping members adapted to grip a person around the waist, retaining bars mounted 011 the standards and adapted to be engaged by the said arms to retain the same in open position, gripping members adapted for gripping engagement with the feet of a person and a weight having connection with the said arms and said gripping members to actuate the same when pressure is exerted upon a releasing meanshaving connection with the said arms.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cage showing the door, my device being mounted in initial position, parts of the cage being broken away to disclose the underlying structure. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a front elevation, similar to Fig. 1, but showing my device in final position, parts of the cage being broken away to disclose the underlying structure. Fig. 4 is a per spective view of one of the arms. Fig. 5

is a perspective view of one of the foot gripping members.

Referring more particularly to the views, I provide a plurality of posts 10 having arms 11 mounted to swing therein, the lower ends of the said arms being tapered and adapted for releasable engagement with retaining bars 12 pivotally mounted in the posts 10, the said retaining bars being provided with recesses 13 in which the lower ends of the arms 11 are adapted to seat. Formed on the upper ends of the arms 11 are gripping members 15, embodying bifurcated lugs 17 extended from the ends thereof. w

An operating foot 18 is mounted in an opening in a floor 19, the said operating foot having its upper surface normally disposed in the plane of the floor so that to the casual observer the operating foot will seem like a portion of the floor. Rods 20 are connected to the under side of the operating foot 18 and extend upwardly for pivotal connection with the bars 12 for releasing the said arms as will be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Mounted in the posts 10 are guides 21 and mounted to slide horizontally in the guides are foot gripping members 22 terminating at their forward ends in bifurcated lugs 28, cords 24. being connected to the rear ends of the foot members 22 and arranged to pass over pulleys 25, mounted upon the guides 21, the lower ends of the cords terminating in a weight 26, said cords being extended through openings 27 formed in the floor 19. The guides 21 are preferably formed by bending edges thereof sufficiently to support the foot-gripping members 22 in sliding horizontal position, the mentioned edges, however, being spaced apart to form longitudinally extending slots in the guides 21 through which the eye bolts to which the cords 24 are connected, are adapted to pass when the foot-gripping members are moved forwardly into gripping position as will be readily seen by referring to Figs. 1 and 2.

Secured to the arms 11 are cords 28, extending downwardly to pass over pulleys 29, mounted within the posts 10, the said cords 28 being extended through the openings 27 and secured to the weight 26.

A suitable expansible spring 30 is interposed between the floor and operating foot 18, said operating foot being adapted to move downwardly in an opening in the floor when pressure is exerted thereon from the top thereof.

In the use of the device the various parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 1, it belng seen that the arms 11 are held in initial posit-ion by the bars 12, engaging the lower tapered ends of the arms 11 and when the bars 12 hold the arms 11 in initial position as shown and mentioned, the cords 24 will be sufiiciently slack to permit of moving the foot gripping members 22 rearwardly to initial position as is also shown in Fig. 1. Now when a burglar or highwayman endeavors to enter the cage through the door, he necessarily muststep upon the operating foot 18 and when pressure is exerted on the operating foot the same will move downwardly, thus imparting a downward movement to the rods 20 thus moving the bars 12 downwardly and releasing the arms 11. At the moment that the arms 11 are released from the bars 12, the weight 26 being also released will move gravitationally downward thus carrying the arms downwardly and as the cords 2a connect the foot gripping members 22 with the weight 26', the downward movement of the weight will cause the foot gripping members to move outwardly from the posts 10 and toward each other to grip the foot of the intruder and the bifurcated lugs 15 of the arms 11 will grip the intruder at the waist, the final position of the device being shown in Fig. 3.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of standards, of gripping arms mounted to swing on the standards, bars mounted on the standards and adapted to be engaged by the gripping arms to retain the gripping arms in locked position, an operating foot, rods connecting the said operating foot with the said bars, a weight, cords connecting the said weight with the said gripping arms, foot gripping members slidably mounted within the said standards and cords connecting the said foot gripping members with the said weight.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of standards, of gripping arms mounted to swing thereon, locking bars for releasably retaining the gripping arms in locked position, an operating foot, rods connecting the said operating foot with the said bars to disengage the said bars from the said arms when pressure is applied to the said operating foot and a weight in connection with the said gripping arms for moving the said gripping arms into gripping position when the same are released.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of standards, of gripping arms mounted to swing thereon, locking bars for releasably retaining the gripping arms in locked position,an operating foot, rods connecting the said operating foot with the said bars to disengage the said bars from the said arms when pressure is applied to the said operating footand a weight connected with the said gripping arms for moving the said gripping arms into gripping position when the same are disengaged from the said bars.

4. In a device of the classdescribed,the combination with a pluralityof standards,

of gripping arms mounted to swing thereon,

means for releasably retaining the said arms in locked position, an operating foot for releasing the said arms to permit the same to 7 move into gripping position when pressure is applied to the operating foot and a weight connected to the said gripping arms for moving the same into'gripping position when the said arms are released.

5. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a plurality of standards,

of gripping arms mounted to swing thereon, means for releasably retaining the said arms 1n locked posltion, an operating foot for releasing the said arms to permit the same to move into gripping position when pressure is applied to the operating foot, foot grip of gripping arms pivotally mounted thereon,

lockin g bars pivotally mounted on the standards and adapted to be engaged by the said gripping arms to retain the gripping arms in locked position, means in connection with the said locking bars for disengaging the same from the said gripping arms and a weight in connection with the said grip-ping arms for moving the gripping arms into gripping position when'the said bars are disengaged from the gripping arms.

7. In a device of the class described, the v I combination with a plurality of standards, of grippingarms pivotally mounted thereon, locking bars pivotally mountedon the standards and adapted to be engaged by the said gripping arms to retain the gripping arms in locked position, means in connection with the said locking bars for disengaging the same from the said gripping arms, a weight in connection with the said gripping arms for moving the gripping arms int-o gripping position when the said bars are disengaged from the gripping arms, foot gripping members and means moving the said foot gripping members into gripl0 ping position when the sald gripping arms are moved into grip-ping position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN GRIFFIN. Witnesses:

JOHN MOMICHAEL, PETER MIHCLIK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

